‘Bromance’ Flix and the State of Dudedom

“I HATE THIS. There are no rules for male friendships.” So complains Peter, the friendless protagonist of I Love You, Man, just one of the latest additions to that ever-expanding genre in popular cinema known as the “bromantic comedy.” Newsweek writer Ramin Setoodeh notes that unlike the traditional buddy film, the bromance “shows us that straight guys, even without the aid of a high-speed car chase, can bond almost as strongly as heterosexual lovebirds” (6/8/09).

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The Gay & Lesbian Review / Worldwide (The G&LR) is a bimonthly magazine targeting an educated readership of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) men and women. Under the tagline, “a bimonthly journal of history, culture, and politics,” The G&LR publishes essays in a wide range of disciplines as well as reviews of books, movies, and plays.